{
  "id": "dict_002166",
  "term": "Gershom",
  "slug": "gershom",
  "letter": "G",
  "entry_type": "biblical_proper_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "An Old Testament proper name borne by more than one person, including Moses’ son Gershom.",
  "simple_one_line": "Gershom is a biblical name used for more than one person in the Old Testament.",
  "tooltip_text": "An Old Testament name, best known as the name Moses gave his son.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Moses",
    "Zipporah",
    "Gershon",
    "Jonathan (son of Gershom)"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Names in the Bible",
    "Hebrew names",
    "sojourner"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Gershom is a biblical proper name borne by more than one Old Testament figure. The best-known Gershom is Moses’ son, whose name is linked to Moses’ experience as a sojourner in Midian.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical person-name, not a theological concept.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Best known as the name of Moses’ son",
    "Appears in more than one Old Testament context",
    "Often associated with Moses’ sojourning and exile",
    "Not to be confused with Gershon"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Gershom is an Old Testament proper name used for more than one individual. The most familiar Gershom is Moses’ son by Zipporah, whose name is connected with Moses’ status as a sojourner in a foreign land. Because the term denotes a person-name rather than a doctrine, it should be treated as a biblical name entry.",
  "description_academic_full": "Gershom is a Hebrew proper name appearing in the Old Testament for more than one individual. The best-known bearer is the son of Moses and Zipporah, named in connection with Moses’ sojourning experience in Midian and his confession that he had been a stranger in a foreign land (Exod. 2:22; 18:3). The name also occurs in other genealogical and narrative settings. Since Gershom is a biblical person-name rather than a theological concept, the entry should be classified and read as a proper-name article.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Exodus, Gershom’s name preserves the memory of Moses’ years away from Egypt and his life as a stranger before the Lord’s redemptive call fully unfolded. The name therefore belongs to the biblical pattern in which names may carry narrative and theological memory.",
  "background_historical_context": "Ancient Israelite naming often reflected life events, family experience, or confessional meaning. Gershom fits that pattern, linking a personal name to Moses’ early period of displacement and exile.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In Hebrew usage, the name is traditionally associated with the idea of being a stranger or sojourner. Such naming practices were common in the ancient Near East and often preserved family history in compressed form.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Exod. 2:22",
    "Exod. 18:3"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Judg. 18:30",
    "selected genealogical notices in Chronicles"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: גֵּרְשֹׁם (Gēršōm). The name is traditionally linked with the idea of being a sojourner or stranger there.",
  "theological_significance": "The name chiefly matters because it preserves a biblical memory of Moses’ sojourning and God’s providential shaping of his life. It illustrates how Scripture sometimes embeds theology in names without making the name itself a doctrine.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a proper name, Gershom functions referentially rather than conceptually. Its significance comes from the narrative and covenant setting in which the name is given and remembered.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse Gershom with Gershon. Also do not treat the name itself as a theological category; its significance lies in the people who bore it and the biblical context in which it appears.",
  "major_views_note": "The main point of agreement is that Gershom is a biblical proper name with more than one referent. The best-known identification is Moses’ son, while other occurrences belong to genealogical or narrative notices.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This is a name entry, not a doctrinal term. It should not be used to build doctrine apart from the surrounding biblical text.",
  "practical_significance": "Names like Gershom remind readers that Scripture preserves history, memory, and theology together. They also encourage careful reading of context and of similar biblical names.",
  "meta_description": "Gershom is an Old Testament proper name best known as the name Moses gave his son.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/gershom/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/gershom.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}